Tondemonai Kami
by TheHiddenFox10197
Summary: What would happen if an attempt on Naruto's life was stopped by two strangers with powers that could rival that of any shinobi in the world? A whole new avenue opens up for Naruto as his adventures take him to places he never dreamed he would be able to visit. Watch out world, here comes the Tondemonai Kami! No pairings yet. No Yaoi. Rated M for caution.
1. Chapter 1

Side note: This story was originally produced by Epsialpha, my old account, which I subsequently lost the password to. So, if anyone believes this to be plagarism, I would like you to know that much at the least.

Okay, so this is my first story, so please, bear with me. There will be mistakes, that much is understood. I hope that you readers will help me with any mistakes you may see, and it would be appreciated. Any criticism is welcome, as long as it is constructive. If you do indeed notice any mistakes, I will fix them upon notification. This story will not be going along the lines of Canon for the majority of its storyline, and there will be OCs. Any other details that are needed should be in the description. If your required answer is not provided, I would be more than happy to answer any questions about the story. Thank you for reading, Hidden Fox out.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other affiliated titles and or brands associated with this story.

Chapter 1: The Fox and the Hound dog

When people think of the Village of Hidden Leaf, better known as Konoha, they tend to have two general lines of thought. The first line consists of its majestic beauty, the beautiful views, the grand markets, the tall trees, the gentle winds that just happen to make everything better, or even the massive iconic walls that surround it. Then there is the second line of thought, the one that every good military tactician manages to see at a mere glance. That line of thought sees the powerhouse that Konoha truly is. Those iconic walls were for more than just a pretty view, and it took a truly skilled strategist to bring them down. Konoha was the most powerful ninja village in existence, that much was certain, producing some of the most legendary ninjas to have ever lived. In the past century, more living legends had come out of Konoha than most would care to think of, especially for enemy villages. It would be suicide for a full frontal assault to take place at Konoha. That isn't even including the formidable clans, such as the Uchiha and Hyuga, who waited for any opponent to present themselves. No, attacking Konoha was the worst of mistakes that an enemy nation could make without the power of Kami at their side.

Yet, when these two mind frames process the potential of Konoha, they fail to recognize the anger that held within each of its citizens, and how that could affect every aspect of their lives. They fail to recognize the how divided Konoha truly is. These views do not distinguish the ever growing chasm that divides its clans, destroying relationships between one another. They do not see the arrogance of the Uchiha and Hyuga families. They cannot so much as glimpse the corruption that lies within Konoha's council. And they do not perceive that there is a hate that is singled at one specific person for crimes committed by another. No outsider could even begin to comprehend the boiling hate that simmered just below Konoha's beautiful surface that was directed at a six year old boy that went by the name Uzumaki Naruto. And no one could perceive how much danger that boy was at this very moment as he went about his life, just as he did, day after day. No one would remember this day as the day that Uzumaki Naruto was brutally murdered, but as the day that the demon was killed once and for all. This would be the day known as the beginning of the end.

The child ran for his life as what little adrenaline that his young body could scrounge up began to pump through his veins. His small feet made a pitter patter like sound as his shoeless feet beat against the ground in attempt at escape. They had caught him off guard this time. He had been careless, hoping that this day would be different, and maybe they would cut him a break. But that was just hopeful thinking, as was evident, seeing as he was still bbeing chased down. Yet, that didn't matter at this point. All that mattered was making it out alive. Pushing his body harder, the boy continued to run down the strets of Konoha, hoping that he could make it to Jiji's tower before they caught him. It wasn't likely, but a boy had to dream sometimes. Left turn, right turn, continue straight, it all became a blur as he ran. The tower was growing closer in his view, but the sound of footsteps grew louder in his ears. They were close, and if he continued to run like this, there were would be no chance at making it in one piece.

Seeing an alley way up the street on his far left, the boy knew it was his only chance at escape. The problem, however, was making it there. By now, the footsteps beat into his ears like a war drum, pounding ever so loudly as his pursuers continued to gain ground. Knowing his time was running out, the child put on an extra burst of speed, allowing him to flow around the traffic in the street like water. Yet, the footsteps continued to increase in volume, whether it be because of added chasers, or that they were becoming faster. In the end, it didn't matter, as he had finally reached the alleyway. Turning down the passage, the boy pushed everything onto the road behind him, hoping to delay his pursuers. Boxes were shoved into the street, trashcans turned over, all in the hopes that it would give his flight a little more time. And as he continued to run, the footsteps became less defined, the noise beginning to fade into the wind. Yet, he didn't stop, knowing the chase was not over. No, if it were truly over, he would have to hide, as he had done so many times in the past. It was time to hide.

So, the boy continued through the back streets, pushing forward towards the tower for what seemed like hours on end. The footsteps were gone now, replaced by the shouts of his pursuers to "Find that brat". Looking up from his path, the child realized that night had fallen, and that now the real hunt would begin. Ninja activity decreased on the roads at night, shrinking the amount of protection that he truly possessed. The only solution to his blight was to press forward while remaining out of the sight of his hunters. That meant hiding out for the night. But where could he hide? The orphanage was out of the question, seeing as how they would turn him over to anyone who they saw fit to deal out his daily beating. Ichiraku's would be closed, so that was no longer an option. The Uchihas and Hyugas would never accept him, for reasons the kept close to themselves. He may have to try the Inuzuka's, but that may be too far away for his little legs to carry him. No, he had to stop and think, and then he would find an appropriate hiding spot. Coming to a halt, the boy began to sit on the floor in thought, hoping to find an acceptable hide-a-way for the time being. However, as soon as he touched the ground, pain tore through his body. Every fiber of the child's body ached from running constantly. This occurred every time the villagers gave chase, yet for some reason it was far worse this time. Liquid flowed over his feet, making the boy stare at them in the darkness. When the moon broke through the clouds, a shuddering cry ran through his body. The bottoms of his feet were gone, torn away from running across the rough ground for hours on end. The pain became even worse as the child laid his eyes upon his wounds. His feet had never been like this before, making the child wonder about how long he had run. Surely it hadn't been so long that his feet were in his current condition. But then again, he had been running since noon, so there was no telling just how long they had been like this. Looking at his feet, another shocking revelation came to the boy. They would find him. The street was covered in bloody feet print, providing a clear map as to his current location. He had to keep moving if he was to survive the night, or who knew what would happen to him.

Damasu Yowai was having a bad day. It had started off well enough, with a good morning from his beautiful wife accompanied by wonderful weather. Then, after that, things went from amazing, straight to terrible. For starters, when he was going on his way to the tower to start his daily patrol, he forgot his forehead protector back at home, forcing him to go back and retrieve it. Upon reaching his current residency, he opened the door to find his wife in the arms of another doing "the tango" with their tongues. After almost killing the offenders, only to be held back by a few of his fellow chunin, he was given orders to go to the northeastern entrance for guard duty, the blight of the shinobi world. Luckily, it was only a two hour shift, allowing him to get off close to four p.m. However, his day was soon to get better. You see, upon going down the road to his house after guard duty, a certain blonde haired child pushed past him in a rush to get away from the following mob that continued to give pursuit. Seeing as how he needed an outlet for his frustrations, Yowai decided to give chase as well, only concealing his efforts in trying to get a chance at the boy by himself. Then he would show the demon what it was like to suffer as they did six years ago. All that he had to do was wait for the right moment to strike.

Hours passed as Yowai continued to trail the boy from a safe distance. The demon continued to run as if its life depended on it. Yowai couldn't help but laugh as the mightiest of bijuu could not escape his genjustu. Who would have figured that the mighty Kyuubi was susceptible to genjustu. The demon seemed to believe that the mob continued to give pursuit, even though it had managed to outrace them almost three hours ago. If he was to take on the beast, he would need to make sure that it was physically exhausted before his assault began, or else he may fall as hundreds had before him. Oh yes, today would be glorious day for years to come. And who knew, maybe if he managed to kill that demon, they would elect him to be the Hokage instead of that delusional old bat Sarutobi. Yes, today would be a glorious day indeed.

Naruto finally managed to stand up on his feet as he pushed with all of his strength. It was a monumental task, but it seemed that all of his stamina was drained, leaving him open for attack. He knew that if he continued to sit there like a good little target, than that is what he would become. No, he did not feel like becoming a pincushion on this day. The moon shone brightly overhead, illuminating the dirty alleyway. Naruto had no idea how long he had sat there, but no matter the time, he was still tired. However, his feet had stopped bleeding, allowing him to continue on his way once more. There was only one haven for him this late at night, and despite what little energy he had, he was sure that he would make it. He just had to push himself a little harder.

Looking around, Naruto noticed that there was no one in sight, and took his first step to safety. That was a mistake, because as soon as his second foot left the ground, his other leg began to crumple under the weight of his body, causing him to fall to the dirt floor once more. Naruto looked up from the floor, tears springing from his eyes. Would this be how he died, staring at the night sky without a single friend? Upon thinking that, a flame sprouted itself in Naruto's heart as he thought of Jiji, and how he could not fail his only living friend. If he died here, who would become the next Hokage? NO, he had to push on, no matter the pain, no matter the cost. Pushing himself off the floor once more, he began the tedious task of trying to walk with such little energy.

He continued his way through the alleyways for some time, crawling through spaces too small to walk through, and jumping over fences that blocked his passage. It was hard, to say the least, with what little energy he had, but he pushed on, willing his way through the turbulent journey. As Naruto continued, he couldn't help but get his little six year old side tracked.

'I wonder if the Hokage gets special things, like gifts and stuff. I'm sure he does, I mean, he is the Hokage and all. I think that would suck if you didn't get some cool stuff.' Naruto pondered when a sudden thought occurred to him. 'I bet the Hokage gets as much ramen as he wants, and doesn't even have to pay for it! Just imagine all that Miso ramen, sitting there, waiting for me to become Hokage. I can't wait!'

As Naruto continued to walk, now salivating from the thought of all that ramen waiting for him at the top of the ninja food chain, he didn't notice the shadow that followed, copying his movements almost perfectly, making sure that not a noise was made from his movements.

Finally, the thought of all that ramen waiting for him broke Naruto's silence, causing him to shout for joy in anticipation of his precious miso ramen. "I am going to become Hokage, believe it! And when I do, all the Ramen in the world shall be mine! Do you hear me?! MINE! MWUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Naruto shouted at the top of his lungs, hysteria breaking loose within his brain as he pondered just how much ramen he could confiscate from the world. Meanwhile, Yowai silently shuddered at Naruto's evil laugh, hoping to Kami that the demon was merely playing with him, and not actually planning to destroy the entire elemental continent just for ramen.

"Sheesh, ramen isn't even that good. Dango is where it is at. At least that snake-bitch Anko understands that." Yowai muttered to himself as he continued to listen to Naruto chuckle evilly.

Three blocks away, Mitirashi Anko was enjoying a nice bowl of Sake with her dango when she sneezed, forcing the dango all over the floor, and the sake to coat the counter top of the bar. The killer intent of that bar when to an all new high as Anko swore to Kami that she would hunt down the blasphemous fool who dared to make her dirty her dango. All she had to do was wait for the time to strike.

"Hey, you gonna clean that crap up?" Said an unfortunate bar man. His screams could be heard for miles around as Anko placed a well-aimed kunai strike in his groin, coated with a poison to induce shrinkage.

Unfortunately with that last comment, Naruto picked up on Yowai's presence, forcing him to run in a mad dash to get out of kunai range. Almost immediately upon Naruto's dash, a hail of shuriken came down on his previous position. The attack missed by a hairs breath, forcing Yowai to continue to give chase, now at a faster pace. He silently cursed himself for making such a stupid comment, forcing him to give up the element of surprise. The demon was fast, that much Yowai was certain of, though it seemed to be playing him, not unleashing its full potential until the opportunity arose. He would just have to up the ante if he wanted to win this game of fear.

Meanwhile, Naruto was just about to shit himself, seeing as how close that last attack came to ending his life. He was used to ninja attacking him, but the masked men always came before they ever used their weapons like that. He would have to be extra careful if he was to live from this experience. He only had two weapons as of this moment, his prankster side, and his layout of Konoha due to his wanderings, but luckily, they were infinite in opportunity.

Soon, another wave of shuriken flew down from the roofs onto the street, passing around the blonde headed boy. Unfortunately, one smashed into his shoulder as the boy continued to run, forcing blood to surface.

'Good, so the demon can bleed. Well, you know what they say. If it bleeds, it can be killed." Yowai thought to himself as he began to pull kunai out for his next attack.

Naruto cried out in pain as the shuriken embedded itself into his shoulder. The bastard managed to strike him with one of those shuriken. But in the end, it wouldn't matter, because the grand market was fast approaching, and then, Naruto would strike back. All he had to do was buy himself some time, and then it would be over. Just a little more time, that was all.

Seeing the demon beginning to speed up, Yowai took to the streets, hoping to end the fight fast before anyone interfered. He alone would kill the demon brat, and the honor of doing so belonged to him alone. He would not share, and then, he would get his reward, and all the power that came with it. Hell, he could even become the Hokage with such power! He just sighed at the thought of being Hokage. Yes, being Hokage would be fun. He could only imagine what it would be like. All that power, money, justu, and women, who could think of all the possibilities? Oh yes, the women. How could he ever forget about such an important aspect of the highly esteemed job of Hokage? Women would flock to him, but who to use first? That genjustu user Kurenai was quite easy on the eyes, and who could forget about Anko? She was a beauty, and would be fun to play with for a while, only to leave to another plaything when he got bored, each time better than the rest. Oh yes, being Hokage would be fun.

Yowai continued in his diluted fantasies for quite some time, allowing Naruto to gain some ground, and finally reach the market center. It wasn't much to look at, consisting of a square plaza with some booths spread every five to ten feet. That wasn't what made this location so desirable for Naruto however. It was the objects that remained near the booths that interested him. That ninja would arrive at any moment, and he would have to set his trap fast. Looking around the area, Naruto took note of all available materials. There were a few open booths with kitchen utensils within them, a cart of melons, a few saplings, some curtains, and a couple of cords from some streamers that were on the ground. Inwardly, Naruto gave an evil chuckle as he knew just what to do for his prey, and upon setting the trap, decided to lay in wait.

Yowai cursed himself for his foolishness as he realized that he had lost track of the demon brat. Looking around, there were no alleyways for the demon to hide itself, so he pushed onward down the dark road. Upon continuing forward, he came across the market center, and knew this was where the demon waited for him. Caution had to be implemented if he wished to live the encounter with the beast, this much he knew. Being sure to be observant of his surroundings, Yowai noticed something that almost made him leap for joy. The shuriken had done its job, it seemed, as a blood trail could be seen across the ground, leading to a red booth about fifteen feet to his right, and about five feet forward. Still happy at his luck, Yowai settled for a smirk as he slowly walked towards the red booth. As he approached the stand, Yowai was certain that he could make out an orange outline from between the curtains, signifying that the demon lay within. Slowly pulling out a kunai, Yowai grabbed one of the curtains on the booth, and yanked sideways as he stabbed down onto the orange shape with all of his might. Upon feeling no flesh beneath his stabbing, Yowai knew that he had made a grave mistake, and his fear only grew with a sound that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

"Snap!" A rope that was hidden by the curtain broke with one of his downwards thrusts and the whirring of rope could be heard as he felt something tighten around his feet. Looking down, he could make out the shape of a noose around his ankles, yanking him off his feet as he was dragged towards a tree. Yowai knew that if he was caught in that tree he would be open towards a counter attack and decided to act. Using the kunai to slice the rope that bound his feet, Yowai let out a sigh as he was no longer being dragged across the ground, only to gulp as another trap was triggered. No sooner than a second after he cut the rope, a counter weight was released, shooting a barrage of melons at the unsuspecting chunin. The barrage devastated Yowai as he was hit with one melon after another, coating his body with bruises. It lasted for around twenty seconds before the melons stopped falling. Yowai silently thanked Kami as he realized the assault was over. His gratitude was interrupted by laughter, however, coming from a highly amused Naruto.

"Oh man, you should have seen your face! I can't believe you fell for that! I can't wait to tell Jiji about this one!" Naruto laughed at the other exit of the market center, rolling on the dirt crying as he did so. Due to his distraction, the blonde didn't notice the angry chunin get up from the ground, pulling the kunai up to throw as he did so. Upon seeing Yowai looking quite angry, however, Naruto quickly sobered up, and a look of fear replaced his look of amusement. Looking at the man that stood with the kunai directed at him, Naruto could only let out one phrase. "Uh oh?"

Yowai's eyebrow began to twitch at the sudden shift in the demon's behavior, yet, the only real thought that he had was which way to kill the blonde prankster. Glaring at the boy, rage boiling just beneath his skin, Yowai let out one response. "Uh oh indeed you little demon!" And with that, the enraged chunin let loose a hail of kunai.

Seeing the immediate danger, Naruto took off in a sprint as the kunai impaled his previous position, missing him by mere inches. He still had one trap left, but if that didn't work, he was officially screwed. Looking back, Yowai was gaining ground fast, and he had to end this if he wanted to live the encounter. Looking forward once more, Naruto continued to run as fast as his legs could carry him. However, Yowai would be looking for traps, so he had to distract the man even more.

"I bet you suck as a ninja! You can't even catch me!" Naruto shouted back at the Chunin that gave pursuit as he ran through the streets, antagonizing the Chunin even further.

Once more, a spike of killing intent could be felt in the city as Yowai became even more enraged than he was previously. "You want to see a ninja work, huh? Well, here we go you damned brat!" And with that, Yowai pushed chakra to his feet, increasing his speed even more. This was a double edged sword in the end, however, due to the fact that it caused two things to occur. The first thing was for him to ram right into Naruto, causing the two to trip and fall forward onto the road. Then, it triggered the trap that Naruto had set, while they were both in its grasps. It didn't look like much at first, with just a ninja on top of a six year old boy, beating him into a pulp. But then, the whirring of rope could be heard once more, and the air seemed to take a dangerous shift to it.

Looking down at the bloody blonde, Yowai grasped the child's throat and squeezed, forcing Naruto to scream in pain. It came out as a pained gurgle, however, as Yowai crushed his windpipe. "What the hell have you done?" Yowai hissed at the boy. The blonde beneath him could only gurgle, however, as a whistling could be heard in the air and a defiant look appeared in the boy's eyes that clearly said one thing.

_"You'll see…"_

Yowai understood that look very well and could only shudder in fear as he got to his feet. He was too late, however, as a bombardment of kitchen knives were shot from down the road, crashing into his side as he got up. A silent scream rang out from his lips as the knives cut through his rib cage, decimated his left lung, and sliced through his heart. Looking down at the blonde boy as the life faded from Yowai's eyes, he knew that he had to finish. He had to complete his task, even if it killed him. Taking out the last kunai in his possession, Yowai stabbed down on the small body, causing a sad and painful gurgle to erupt from the boy's throat. Yowai couldn't help but feel proud that he had finally done it. He had killed the demon. It may have ended with his death, but that didn't matter. He had avenged those who had died to fight the beast, avenging countless number of Konoha shinobi and civilians.

Naruto continued to scream in pain as the kunai lay in his chest, his blood gushing out. He would normally heal from such a blow, but his wounds were far to grievious for his healing factor to make a difference, and he knew these were the last moments of his life. He silently cried to himself as the darkness began to enclose him. It was over. He wouldn't become Hokage. He wouldn't get his unlimited pile of ramen. And deep down, what hurt the most was that he would never have the admiration of the village. They would always look down on him, and in the end, that was what hurt the most. Sadly, the boy knew his time was over, and he let go. His eyes began to close as the light faded. And then, a noise awoke him from the darkness, from the abyss that was death. People were talking over his prone form, and he could make out two different voices. The first was as soft as the wind, but nurturing, and that was what grabbed his attention. This voice gripped his life as hard as it could, and beganto pull him from Shinigami's grasp. The second voice was far rougher than the first, easily identified as a man's. It leaked a small amount of concern, but besides that, it gave no hints as to who its owner was. All that mattered was the concern in their tones, however, showing Naruto that he wouldn't be left to die out here in the middle of an abandoned street all by himself. That thought comforted him to a certain point, but could not dispel every ounce of his fear. He just prayed to kami that they could help him somehow. It was a lot to pray for, but maybe someone in Heaven would look down at him in pity and take mercy on his soul.

"Hang on little one, your time has not come. Help is on the way, just hold on for one moment." The more feminine motherly voice said, soothing him through the darkness that began to consume him once more. It sounded so close, yet so far away as death made one final assault at his life, pushing to bring about his end. He just had to fight it even harder, as he could feel a pair of hands touch is small chest, fiddling with the kunai lodged in his chest cavity.

Opening his eyes as much as was allowed by his body, Naruto could see the fading outline of a woman and a man, the former bent down close to his small form, trying to pry the kunai out of his rib cage without causing too much damage. Suddenly, a sharp pain ripped through his body as the kunai was yanked out, causing another gurgle of pain to come out of his crushed windpipe. The woman bent down closer to his face, reached out with one hand, and began to rub the whisker marks on his face, causing his chest to purr in relaxation. In any other situation, Naruto would have been embarrassed to have one of his true weaknesses revealed, especially by a girl no less. But now, all that mattered was the way the hand soothed his cheek in a motherly way, making him relax, pushing the worries about his wounds to the side as the hand continued to caress his cheek. He was almost certain that the woman calmly laughed at his reaction, while the man merely chuckled in return.

Opening his eyes to the outside world once more, the blonde child could make out the women's features far better than he could moments ago. She had pure black hair, a few golden highlights accompanying her raven tresses, which fell down to her shoulders. Her face possessed fine eyebrows that matched her dark hair, a sharp, yet small, nose, and blazing golden eyes. What was most shocking was the pure porcelain like skin that she had. It seemed as if she had never stood in the sun for more than five minutes. Yet, if she were to be judged by her facial looks alone, the correct assumption would be that she was the manifestation of femininity, beauty radiated off of her form. However, the rest of her person told a different story. She was decked out in a Jounin combat vest, being of the darkest shades of black. The scars of battle could be seen lying across its tattered surface, showing that she was no stranger to war. Beneath that lay a plain red shirt, looking to be the color of blood, with a strange bronze medallion consisting of a single kanji hanging from her neck. Below that, she wore simple black cargo pants that were bandaged in multiple areas, possessed multiple kunai holsters, and were caked in dirt. Her small feet were adorned in black shinobi sandals, probably a size to big from the look of them.

The man still stood quite a distance from him, leaving the majority of his features to Naruto's imagination. He was definitely tall, standing easily at six foot five inches in stature. He looked beefy, but Naruto couldn't tell. What really grabbed the boy's attention was what the cloak that the man adorned couldn't hide. It concealed the majority of his features from sight, but couldn't hide his most predominate feature. From beneath the cloak's hood, two golden eyes shown with the intensity of the sun, matching the woman's eyes in every way, save that these pair were far more masculine.

Another wave of pain raked through Naruto's body as the woman continued to tamper with the injury, making Naruto wonder if she was truly attempting to heal his wound. Agony tore through his frame once more as she pulled out a vile of green liquid from one of the containers on her flak jacket, and unceremoniously dumped it into the wound. The green concoction felt like molten magma as it began to settle into the wound. Naruto had gone through a massive amount of beatings in his short life time, but nothing he had endured in the past fell anywhere close to how painful this experience was. To make things worse, the more time that went by, the worse the pain seemed to get, spreading through his body like an army would as it conquered a country. He gurgled in pure agony, his screams no longer coming out with his larynx crushed.

Suddenly, the large man moved from his position, pushing the women aside as he strode towards Naruto. Anger was easily evident on his face as he looked down at him in pity, and then turned on his companion in anger. Naruto couldn't hear anything, as the pain deafened him to the world around him, but he could have sworn that the mysterious man was screaming at the woman from the look on his face. Something wasn't right, that much Naruto could understand. How else could a man go from being absolutely stoic, to fully enraged within a matter of seconds. Then, the man turned back to him, tears evident in his golden eyes. He seemed to be muttering something as he continued to ignore Naruto's pained gaze, doing everything in his power to avert his eyes from the boy. Then, the man suddenly looked him straight in the eye, and muttered words that could easily be read on his lips.

_"I am so sorry…"_

And with that said, the man pulled out a needle from his cloak, and injected it right into Naruto's neck, surprising the clueless blonde. As soon as the needled punctured the artery on his throat, darkness invaded his peripherals, pushing its way into his vision.

_"Sleep, child. It will all be over in a few seconds…"_

To Naruto, that sounded like wonderful advice. His body was sore, and a good rest would really help. Yet, something seemed wrong about sleeping at a time such as this. Maybe it was because he had almost died mere moments before, but he couldn't tell. All that Naruto could do was fight the slumber that invaded his mind. It was a worthy battle, but in the end, Naruto caved in from exhaustion, and slowly fell into a deep sleep.

The man in the cloak stared down at the boy; sadness filled his soul as he knew the coming times for the boy would be difficult. He had experienced them himself when he was around this child's age, and would never wish the trials on even his worst of enemies. He hoped that the blonde would be up for it, but luck had never favored him. Slowly, he crouched down towards the child's sleeping form, and gently picked him up from the cold dirt road. He was under weight, as was evident from how scrawny the boy was. The boy's blood puddled on the street, sure to leaves stains as to what happened on this night for days to come. It was an ungodly amount, that much he was certain of, and he couldn't figure how the boy was still alive. Anyone who came across it would believe the victim to be dead, that much was sure. It must have been an act of kami himself for the boy to have stayed alive for as long as he had before they found him. If only they hadn't cursed what would be left of his existence. So, holding the boy close to him in a tight embrace, fearing that he would lose the child, the man began to walk down the road towards Konoha's

"Tsuyo-kun, wait up! Look, I'm sorry, but I couldn't-" The woman began, but she was easily cut off by the man known as Tsuyo.

"Save it Kokai, because I really don't care. We don't have time for your apologies. We have work to do, and if you truly wish for the boy to live, you will shut the hell up, and follow my lead." Tsuyo practically growled at her. His patience was reaching its limits, and he didn't want to snap at her again. He knew that she meant well with her actions, but Tsuyo wasn't a fan of the trials, and hated to see people go through it.

Kokai took a step back at his aggression towards her, unused to the hostility that he was displaying. She knew that he disliked the trials, but she hadn't been expecting that reaction. But, she sucked it up, knowing his anger would fade with time, and stepped in stride to catch up with her companion, who was walking down the road at a moderate speed.

"So, how are we getting out of here? I have a feeling that they aren't just going to let us out of here with that boy in your arms." Kokai questioned, hoping that Tsuyo had a real plan for their escape instead of the usual run and gun techniques that they tended to implement when it came to tactical retreats.

"Oh, I have a plan. Don't worry about that Kokai, don't worry at all…" Tsuyo let out with a humorless chuckle as he headed towards the middle of the town. This would be the most fun that he had in quite some time. By the time that Konoha realized that it had been fooled, it would be too late to impede their journey. And then, the real problems would begin.

Thank you for reading this chapter of Tondemonai Kami; The rewrite. I appreciate anyone who actually read this far, and if you could please give some constructive criticism, it would be very much appreciated. Anything that you readers think should be changed should be brought to my attention so I may amend any errors that impeded you reading. All questions that are asked will be answered to help clarify the story. Once more, thanking for reading this selection, and may you continue to read on in this AU adventure.

P.S. If you continue to read, the trails will be explained in later chapters. Until then, have fun!


	2. Chapter 2

Well, the Hidden fox is back with this new installment of Tondemonai Kami, and I have to say, it is really fun writing fan fiction. Besides that, I don't have much to say.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Naruto, or any other form of brand/ merchandise which may or may not be mentioned in this story. However, I do own a cupboard of ramen, a laptop, and more time than I know what to do with.

Chapter Two: How to lose a Jinchuriki in Seven Days…

The moon shown down upon the quiet city of Konoha, its beautiful persona glorified in the moonlight. In truth, it resembled absolute paradise, with serenity and tranquility. However, this was only a façade. Deep within the Village hidden in leaves, shadows leapt through the streets, bounding down the hidden avenues of the ninja village. These shadows were almost entirely indiscernible to the average human eye, and only the most experienced of Jounin would have been able to detect their presence.

They raced through the town in packs, ranging anywhere from three to ten shadows, and when one deemed a hiding spot as acceptable, one of the pack members would blend in with their surroundings, while the others would continue their quest. They were strange creatures, possessing no characterizing traits, but rather, consisted of a black silhouette of the only basic human male form. Their steps made little to no sound as they their packs became smaller and smaller, until they were entirely gone. Had you not seen them, you would have never known they were there.

This is what Tsuyo was hoping for, as he crouched in the forests outside of Konoha. It hadn't been hard to sneak out of the village with the boy, who was currently riding piggy-back on his companion Kokai's back, fast asleep. They had literally walked out of the village, with only a simple henge on the small child. Their security was absolutely pathetic. He could have probably killed their Kage and walked out without so much as breaking a sweat. Luckily for them, he had no vendetta against Konoha, or things may have very well turned out that way. However, that didn't mean things were going to get any easier.

They still had to worry about Konoha's hunter-nins. For the boy to have survived as long as he had against the ninja that they had found dead at the child's feet, he must have been from some form of clan, and that meant his disappearance would be noted easily. The only thing they could do was cause a bigger distraction, allowing for a smooth getaway. By the time Konoha was done dealing with his little surprise, it would be next to impossible to track them down, and while hunter-nin weren't the most powerful shinobi they had ever faced, they were, to be frank, troublesome to deal with while protecting a target.

"Secret Art: Bodies of Impurity." Tsuyo whispered, as more of the shadowy figures seemed to split from his prone body. They immediately began to approach Konoha, and would eventually climb the massive walls which surrounded it. They couldn't do much damage to it, but again, these served as distractions more than soldiers.

"Secret Art: Seal of the Aggressor." The tall man muttered to himself while going through a series of hand-seals. Once completed, around one half of the Impure Bodies in Konoha began to sprout red seals across their black and featureless bodies, all the while their forms began to transform into much larger beings. Besides that, not much had changed, at least, cosmetically.

"Hurry up Tsuyo, who knows when a patrol will come around here. I don't want to fight with this kid on my back." Kokai whispered at him while he stared out towards Konoha.

"Don't worry; even if they do find us, then we will just kill them." Tsuyo responded as he continued to stare at the city, only for his rather stoic face to let off a small grin. "There, it is done. Cover the boy's ears, and be prepared to run. On my mark, San…Ni…Ichi…" Then, he took one last look at the city and its famous Hokage Mountain before turned around and letting out one word.

"Kai."

XxX

It was at that moment when hell descended onto Konoha. The one quiet night was torn asunder as explosions ripped through its streets, decimating buildings and structures as they were turned to splinters. If one were to see it from an up-close view, they would have been both mystified and terrified: mystified, because as the Bodies of Impurity that lacked the Seal of the Aggressor exploded, it provided a cascade of reds and oranges, and terrified, because, well, it was a wave of death roaming the streets.

It was this scene of chaos that Sarutobi Hiruzen woke to, as the first of explosions shook him from his dreams. He hadn't even had time to get dressed before his personal guard was through the door and securing the area. They tenacious if anything, and were somewhat certain that his safety was the highest of concerns. Perhaps they did not notice that the city was under attack. Sarutobi would never know, as the days in which he was a part of ANBU had happened long ago, and the methods used were far different.

"Hokage-sama, are you injured in anyway?" One of the ANBU finally spoke up, while the others continued to search the complex.

"I am fine, but that is the least of my concerns. What is the status of the village?" Sarutobi asked as he put his robes and hat on.

"There have been a series of explosions across the village, and a few along the walls of the village. Overall casualties haven't been determined, but it seems that the explosions have only occurred in non-significant areas. The number of wounded, however, seems to be quite high, and could range into the hundreds of shinobi." The ANBU responded, his voice professional and without emotion.

Sarutobi contemplated on the meanings of such an attack. Besides the attack by the Kyuubi six years previously, the only major combat that Konoha had been a part of were the Great Shinobi wars. Most who were involved in the first two were either dead, or in no shape to be fighting. That left the Third Great War, and their enemies with it. After the incident with Kumo and the Hyuuga, they wouldn't dare to risk another event which may cause war, and that left Iwa. It always came down to Iwa. But would even they have the audacity to commit such an attack?

Sarutobi sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose, knowing that this attack would leave a political landslide and a mountain of paperwork to deal with. Finally, he gave one final sigh and turned to the ANBU he had been addressing. "Fetch me Inu, we both have a lot of work do finish before the night is through."

XxX

_(On the Streets of Konoha…)_

"Fire Style: Giant Fireball Technique!" Kakashi Shouted as he lit one of the Impure Bodies on fire. He had been fighting them for minutes now, and while they weren't very powerful, perhaps as strong as a newly promoted chunin, they were quite numerous, and he had been fighting on after another, sometimes in small groups. He was becoming tired of the fighting, and it served to bring back the memories of war, including Obito's death. They irritated him to no extent.

Each time he would eviscerate one in half with a kunai, lit one on fire, or blow them back across the battlefield, another would just take their place. If things continued as they were, no one in the village would be able to stand, let alone fight the strange shadow-like men. He couldn't even imagine what the shinobi with lesser stamina felt like if he was beginning to feel weary. How many could there possibly be?

The one he had just killed was soon replace by two more, who immediately rushed him with no second thought. They were fast, if anything, and were upon him in the blink of an eye. Unfortunately for them, Kakashi was faster, as he managed to kick one straight in the stomach while backhanding the other. The former was pushed back a few feet, but the latter just got back up from the attack and assaulted him in a blind rage. They were nothing more than beasts, and Kakashi knew it was his job to put them down like a nice executioner.

The enraged shadow charged him once more, and once more, Kakashi backhanded the Impure Body with all of his might. Unlike last time, however, there was no sound of the smack landing. Instead, Kakashi felt the beast catch his arm, pulling him into a devastating punch, or rather, what would have been a devastating punch had Kakashi not performed a kawarimi with Impure Body that he had kicked just seconds earlier. The punch ripped through the shadow, which Kakashi now knew to be similar to human physiology in most ways, and then proceeded to tear it in half. Perhaps it didn't know that it had killed its own team mate, or perhaps it was just in a blood rage, but the creature was ripping its companion to shreds, and then proceeded to eat the chunks it had produced.

At first, the act of such cannibalism just made him slightly uncomfortable, but when the Impure body began to become even larger as it ate even more of its companion's now chunk-like remains, he realized that his battle was going to become a little tougher. The once normal sized silhouette was now at least eight feet tall, and where there was once absolute darkness two ferocious red eyes stared at Kakashi, demanding his blood. They stared each other down for a brief moment, and then both simultaneously sprang into action. The now bear-like Impure Body rushed at the elite Jounin, intent on making the scarecrow his personal chew toy with an unbelievable speed. Kakashi, on the other hand, jumped into the air, all the while pulling his forehead protector up to reveal his mature Sharingan, content with his body remaining in one piece.

From Kakashi's point-of-view, the world began to slow towards a snail's pace, as every movement within his eyesight was analyzed in mere milliseconds, being observed and recorded by his Sharingan. To him, that one moment resembled a few minutes as he watched his enraged opponent charge him once more. He could see every moment it took in perfect detail, the sadistic glint in its eyes, but the most important of them all, he could see where it was going to be before the beast reached its intended destination. This was his chance to put down his opponent once and for all.

As Kakashi landed onto the ground from his jump, the large Impure Body took off with a blinding speed, intent on eviscerating the elite Jounin and ANBU captain with complete disregard for its own health. Were it once stood, only an afterimage remained, and before it could completely fade, the monster was within inches of the Jounin's torso. To most ninja, this would have been both an uncomfortable and dangerous situation. For Kakashi, it was another day of the week. The Impure Body thrust its hand forward in a stabbing motion, intent of spearing the scarecrow. As soon as the fist came close to touching him, the ANBU captain jumped off the ground, somersaulting in the air, twisting his body to avoid the blow.

Kakashi's next move was to immobilize his target, which he did by gripping the Impure Body's offending appendage. Once he had a good hold, with one gut-wrenching crack, Kakashi snapped the offending appendage to an unnatural angle and proceeded to deliver a barrage of punches to the far larger opponent. With one arm, the Impure Body could only bock a few of the blows, but the rest rained down with a speed and efficiency that came with experience and determination. On a normal opponent, this would have ended the fight, but to such a beast, such a beat down was only an annoyance. The impure body just swung his functioning arm at the Scarecrow, forcing him to give up his hold on the broken appendage.

This small setback did not mean Kakashi was finished, however, as the Jounin jumped back and let loose a bombardment of kunai knives. With a limp appendage as its shield, the Impure Body rushed Kakashi once more, kunai riddling both its arm and its body, making one final push to win. The blood lust it was experiencing had reached its peak, and nothing could stop this charge. It covered dozens of feet in seconds, traveling faster than most Jounin could have. In its mind, this was the end.

"Chidori!"

And that was the end. Kakashi's lightning covered arm shot through the Impure Body like a spear, cutting through the gorilla sized silhouette like a hot knife through butter. Once second, he had been far enough away that the Body was forced to charge, the next, he was underneath its guard with his arm through the beast's chest. It was that simple, and was brutally effective.

Kakashi slowly pulled his arm from the Impure Body, an ink like fluid staining his arm as he pulled out, mirroring the qualities of blood. Once he had fully pulled his arm free, the Impure Body fell to the ground, the once red light of its eyes fading into blackness, mirroring the rest of its body. The ink-like fluid spilled onto the ground, pooling around Kakashi's feet as he pulled his headband back to its original position, covering his Sharingan eye. He sighed as he looked down at the odd cadaver. Another one dead, yet so many more to go, and it was just another day in the life of a shinobi.

He looked around the battlefield, gazing at the destruction that had been wrought upon his village. Buildings lay in pieces across the streets; the bricks and wooden beams sprawled across the ground, and what few buildings that still stood were on fire, slowly burning to the ground around them. Bodies littered the streets, though, they seemed to largely consist of the Impure Bodies. What few shinobi that had been killed had either been tag teamed or were low skilled genin. Despite this, this village had still taken a massive blow, and it would take years to recover. Reconstruction would have to begin immediately. If word got out that Konoha had been hit with such ease, there was no telling how much political fallout would occur, nor the damage that it would induce.

'And to think that we had believed that the peace would last. If only we could be so lucky. It looks like it is just another day in the life of a shinobi.' Kakashi thought to himself with a solemn tone. 'Would it ever truly end? Would this senseless violence ever end?' He never got his answer, as the ANBU that had been sent to find him minutes earlier finally arrived with a swift flicker.

"Inu-sempai, Hokage-sama requests your presence at the Hokage Tower. I've been ordered to escort you to the tower in order to make sure that you reached it on time." It was quick, efficient, not a word wasted, and straight to the point. The ANBU just stared at him through the holes in the mask they were wearing, without expression or emotion.

Kakashi just stared back, without so much as a hint of emotion in return, mirroring the slate like expression of the ANBU. These were two of the deadliest ninja in the village, and all that they had in common was the mask which they wore. This guy, to Kakashi, seemed to be a tool, and he intended for that to come across with very little offense. This man's life was dedicated to making sure that Konoha and its residents were safe from harm's way. Besides that, he was a blank slate, an emotionless killing machine that held no attachments except to his country and master. These were the type of men that Kakashi feared, not for their ability, but for their submission to those that could very well have ill-intentions. They would bring about the fall of entire nations and people without as much as a second thought. If he did not trust the Hokage so much, he would have doubts as to their leader's intentions with staff such as this. After finishing his comparison, Kakashi gave the ANBU a cheeky eye smile before nodding to the man in the mask.

"If that's the case, then there is no time to waste. Let's get moving before Hokage-sama believes me to be tardy once more." He responded in his laid back voice. He just knew this was going to be a long night.

_(Meanwhile, miles away in the forests surrounding Konoha…)_

A gentle thudding and steady "whooshing" of bodies through air permeated the sound of nighttime Hi no Kuni as Kokai and Tsuyo jumped from tree to tree with chakra enhanced leaps, speeding up their progress away from Konoha immensely. While Konoha was a beehive of activity for the moment, that would soon change, as Tsuyo had created the impure bodies to fight at a much lower capacity than they were able to, and the majority of them would be dead within a few minutes. However, their purpose wasn't to destroy Konoha, but rather serve as a reason for the disappearance of the child on Kokai's back. His

Besides the sound of their leaps, their trip had become uncomfortably quiet as the past few hours set in. They had attacked Konoha, arguably the strongest of the Five Great Shinobi Nations, and possessed ninja which littered almost every page of the annually printed bingo book. Attacking them was suicide, and they knew it, or at least, Tsuyo knew it. Had they been lesser ninja, they would have just signed their death certificates. They had set a city ablaze; fires destroyed its streets, and ransacked its buildings.

They had done all of this, for some child they did not even know. The child would have bled out had they not taken action, but perhaps blowing up a few streets was a bit of overkill. Then again, being able to walk away from the explosions he had caused was extremely bad-ass. Yep, that was going down in his book of kick-ass memories.

But all of the kick-ass moments aside, the child was going to be a challenge. They had just happened to come across him at the right time, and now, he was their travelling companion. They did not know so much as a thing about him; just that he had to take the trials in order to make it past 15. The side-effects of using the elixir were terrible, and its cost was heavy. He could only hope that it was worth it.

The sound of a soft buzzing interrupted his thoughts, causing him to look for its source. It was Kokai, and she was humming to herself, most likely trying to entertain herself as they continued on their trip. She had always been like that, easily bored, and always wanting for something to happen that moment, yet it had been even worse when they were children. He couldn't even count the number of times she got in trouble for some of the stupidest things he had ever heard of. Launching watermelons with chakra enhanced punches, chasing cows through fields as they attempted to get away from incessant girl, even taping cats together to form a giant cat wall, the list was endless. Yet, when asked why she would do such a thing, all she could say was "I was bored."

She had mellowed with time, but deep down, he was sure that she still held onto that little kid who always had to have just a little bit of fun. She just acted on her whims. It could be both a blessing and curse, as it was right now. Without her on the spot decision, the boy would most likely be dead, and they wouldn't be running from Konoha. Right now, they couldn't know which it would be, but they had to move past it no matter what.

"Kokai…" He Whispered, his voice barely louder than a whisper, yet it range clear in her ears.

"Yes, Tsuyo?" She said back, a small smile on her face as she faced him, yet managing to leap from branch to branch without so much as a second thought.

"I'm…I'm sorry or snapping at you back in the village. It's just, we are putting this child, who is even younger than we were, in that same crap we barely got out of." He responded, his voice somewhat distant as he remembered the trials. There had been so much blood, so much death; only to continue living in this already gruesome world. His eyes quickly shifted to the child, and then back to the forest in front of him. It had only been for a second, but Kokai caught it as soon as his eyes had begun to move.

"Don't worry. If he is willing to try, we will train him, and knowing you, by the time we are through, the trials will be a breeze. So, please, stop worrying so much." She told him a smile plastered on her face as she tried to ease him. His face was calm as he thought about what she said, and after a few moments, gave a small sigh.

"Thanks Kokai. I… I needed to hear that." And with that he stopped speaking, allowing Kokai to go back to her humming as they continued to speed through the forest.

_(Six days later, Uncharted Island near Uzu no Kuni…)_

Fire… Lots of fire…

"**Give me my freedom. Let me out of this prison!"** A powerful voce raged. No, it was more than just a voice. It was a presence, an essence. It was power.

Naruto sat up from his position on cold road. It was covered in dirt and grime, and it seemed to be in poor quality. Dirt covered his clothes, as well as his hands and legs. He could only assume the same went for his face as well. The buildings around him were crushed, demolished like sandcastles. Rubble covered the streets, glass from the buildings giving them a deadly glint. It was terrible. He had never seen anything so… bad.

A deep thudding in the earth shook him from his thoughts however. The entire city shook with a rhythmic beat, shaking everything around him. It would have scared most grown men and women shitless, and while he had faced what many would consider to be hell, though he just called it his childhood, this was something else entirely. It was death incarnate, and it knew it.

Smoke billowed from unseen fires, obscuring his view, and giving what little of the horizon he could see a red and black haze. His first step down the road was shaky, as the constant thudding and his fear made it near impossible to take such a step. His next one was a little more solid, and by his third step he was clear to go.

"**You shall obey me! Give me what I want, and you shall live to see another day!"** It roared once more, the sound waves of its voices reverberating through the streets, shaking Naruto to his core.

The voice didn't seem to come from any specific area, but rather echoed from everywhere, giving it an omnipresent feeling. In response to the demands of the presence, Naruto sprinted off in a straight line down the street, his fear having taken control of his motor functions. His small feet didn't cover much ground, but his tenacity usually covered this flaw up. Yet, no matter how far he ran, the voice was there, just waiting for him to believe that he had a chance.

"**Running is of no use, insolent Mortal. I shall find you, and when I do, there shall be no end to your pain!"** It roared even louder, forcing Naruto to cover his ears in fear of going deaf. However, the roaring only got louder as he attempted to do damage control.

This thing was like nothing he had ever faced, and having been beaten by mobs on multiple occasions, that was saying something. Presence was pushing down on him, almost as if the air itself was getting heavy, weighing him down to the ground. It pushed itself into his head, reaching deep into him, and breaking what little resilience he had left.

He lay in the middle of the street, curled up into the fetal position, holding his ears as silent tears began to spill from his eyes. He just wanted it to go away. Was that too much to ask for? He had been beat down all of his life, and it was only going to get worse? Did kami truly hate him?

The thudding of the earth began to become even louder, shaking him physically, almost to the point at which he was bouncing with each thud. The ground began to crack as the earth rumbled and shifted beneath him, causing small schisms to occur in the road and the surrounding area, and as it continued, developed into far larger ones, almost a foot in width, and sometimes four to five feet in length. What little buildings were left began to collapse, increasing the rubble around his prone form.

Using what little energy he had left, Naruto looked down the road, and viewed a sight which chilled his entire body. Far down the road, covered by large quantities of smoke and haze, a shrouded(meaning obscured) creature stood, easily towering over buildings. From what he could tell, it stood on four great legs, a large body, and giant tails which swept across in all directions, and demolished anything in their path. However, what caught his attention were the glowing red eyes which pierced his very soul, freezing him in place. They were a dark, blood red, yet had an incandescent property about them.

Yet the worst part about this… demon… this… monster, was the pure malice which radiated off of it. Like waves, it killing intent splashed down on the young boy. Had he not been frozen in place, Naruto would have most likely wet himself. The eight year-old simply had no idea what to do. He was being stared down by a two hundred foot monster! What was he supposed to do, stare it to death?

The beast continued to stare him down, until it chuckled for a moment, and then let out a roar which rocketed down the street, shattering was little windows were left and pushing most debris down the road. It hit Naruto like a brick wall, causing him to skip across the stone road like a can being kicked by a child. Each hit hurt worse than the last, and by the time he stopped skidding, his blood had begun to flow, shocking out of his stupor. He stood up quickly, his small legs supporting his thin body with surprising strength considering the previous attack, and a took off down the street, straight at the monster as if his life was not at stake.

Each step he took echoed in the street, his feet making a pitter patter as he ran. The beast simply watched him as he did so, neither advancing nor retreating as he watched the small child. Its eyes glistened with a strange emotion, bemusement, astonishment, or perhaps it was just curiosity. And when he did reach the beast, the boy stared up at it defiantly, even as it lowered its head so that it could look eye to eye with the child.

They stared at one another, blue eyes to red, and a battle of wills ensued. The child just stood there wide eyes as he watched the giant fox, yes, he could see it was a fox now, in front of him with snarling teeth and blood red eyes. And the fox on the other hand just stared at the boy in front of him, bored that the child had not run in fear like it had expected to happen.

Perhaps merely seconds passed, but to Naruto, it seemed like hours. This beast had yet to strike, and judging by the city around him, he had to guess that it was more than willing do something bad. Who destroys a city and can still claim to be good, right? After a few more moments however, the beast gave a… chuckle? Then, it proceeded to simply lie down in front of him and close its eyes, as if nothing had happened at all.

To be honest, Naruto was thoroughly confused by the fox's actions. One minute, the thing had been roaring, throwing him down the street, and the next it was lying down in front of him without a care in the world. It had been screaming and roaring for Kami's sake! What happened to that fox? Was the beast extremely bipolar? So, to find his answers, he did what any sensible eight-year would have done had they come from a ninja village. He punched it in the nose.

"Oi, Fox! What gives? Are you just going to take a nap?!" He yelled with so much tact as he slammed his little fist into its nose.

To the Fox, the yelling was just a minor annoyance, but no matter how hard you do it, you should never hit an animal on the nose, especially a crazy ass one which has the ability to knock you on your ass just by breathing. Its eyes snapped open, pupils dilated in anger, opened its massive maw, and let out a powerful roar, hitting the child even harder than the last one, causing him to skid down the road until he smashed against a wall. The impact had been quite painful, as Naruto was pretty sure he had at least six broken bones, and promptly black out from the pain.

'**The gaki has got some balls on him, there's no doubt of that. He will either make for a successful host, or it will be quite entertaining to flay him alive. Either way, I win…' **The Kyuubi no Kitsune thought as he too allowed sleep to claim him, though, his method required a lot less pain than the small child planted in the wall.

_(Five minutes later, outside of Naruto's mind…)_

"Oh Kami, what did I run into…' Naruto muttered to himself as he silently groaned from his position on the floor. It felt like he had been hit by a brick wall…twice.

He just kept his eyes closed, and pulled for his crappy comforter as he felt the need to curl up and go to sleep. However, what he grabbed wasn't the crappy and worn out comforter he was used to. No, it was a soft cotton padded sleeping bag wrapped around his body. And while it took some time, the minute his brain processed the difference, his eyes snapped open, and his body was on full alert. Had he been captured by the villagers? If so, should he be angry, or happy that they were treating him so well. This couldn't have been a dream, could it?

'The air smells a bit funny, kinda like fish. But the blanket feels real, and my clothes feel the same.' He analyzed, hoping to find his answers as he examined his surroundings. Besides being in his newly acquired sleeping bag, he was in a moderately sized tent, and outside he could see a small fire crackling with what appeared to be a few fish cooking over said fire.

Immediately upon seeing the fish, his stomach growled, or more like roared, as it demanded that he eat. Yet, he did not satisfy its desires at first, being suspicious of his surroundings. Who knew what could have been in that scrumptious…delicious…mouthwatering fish. Yeah, to get to the point, Naruto's will dissolved in a matter of seconds, causing him to rip his sleeping bag off in a hurry and rush to the fire. It burnt his hands, but he managed to shove his hands in, grab the fish, and proceed to eat it with an inhuman vigor.

'Kami, I don't even like fish that much, but this stuff is so freakin' good!' Naruto cheered in his head as he took more and more bites out of the fish. While he was engrossed in his food, Naruto never noticed the two figures walking up from his left.

_(Present Time, to Naruto's far left…)_

Tsuyo and Kokai had been walking around the island the past few hours, keeping up patrols with clones henged as animals, and they were just returning to camp when they struck as wall of sorts. While they were sure that they would try and train the boy, they couldn't agree on where they should go.

"I am telling you Tsuyo, we need to keep going west to Kiri. The Civil War will provide excellent cover while we train him." Kokai argued to her male counterpart as they walked back to their makeshift camp, trying to convince him where they should go next.

"With the civil war going on, there is no doubt that we would be dragged in somehow, and that would only serve to distract us, reducing the quality of the training. No, we need to head south, towards the Land of Silence. Just like we did back when we did the trials, we need to find a place of isolation. Its barren landscape and harsh climate will serve well for a training zone. We don't have to worry about any bystanders getting hurt, and it is close to the site of the Trials." Tsuyo retorted, really hoping not to get the child involved in a war that was between a regime of bloodline haters and a failing resistance.

"The distance is far too great! By the time we get there, there is no telling what could happen. We need to hide as soon as possible before the hunter-nin come after him." She argued

"You are assuming that the hunter-nin even have the ability to harm us Kokai. While I do not doubt that their skill is great, we just infiltrated their village, blew it to hell, and the proceeded to walk off without so much as a single squad finding us. If they couldn't find us within their own nation, let alone their own city,, then there is a large chance that they might not be able to locate us while we are traveling." He told her, his voice more patient than it had been back at the village.

"It still seems like such a big risk, I mean, what happens if – Tsuyo?" She responded with wide eyes.

"Yes, Kokai?" He answered questioningly.

"The boy! Look Tsuyo, the boy is up!" She pointed towards Naruto, who was sitting by the fire with his fish, with a look of disbelief.

Tsuyo's head turned with such a speed that had one been watching, they would have felt pain just at the sight of the movement he pulled. And while he hadn't expected her to be lying, Tsuyo was truly surprised when he saw the boy sitting before their fire, chomping down on some of the fish he had caught, as if he hadn't been unconscious for six days. Most people who received the Elixir were put into a temporary coma due the pain that it induced, and only when their bodies believed they had been truly healed would they awaken, a process which usually took between two to three weeks. To see this small child be fully awake at a mere six days was shocking to say the least.

However, he looked ravenous, as he almost swallowed the fish whole once he had managed to get his hands on it. He looked bone thin, and it didn't seem to be due to the induced coma from the elixir. He was probably starving before they had found him. The Elixir feed the body while the user was out cold, so it wasn't deadly to use when you were by yourself. It served to bring out pity from the grown man as he watched the small child eat whatever he could get his hands on, despite the fact that putting his hands into the fire to receive the fish must have hurt.

With that, he began to approach the boy, staring at him with pity as he did so. It wasn't until he was a few feet away from the child that he was noticed by him. When the little blond boy did see him, the kid jumped from his spot on the ground to another spot around the fire, placing it between him and Tsuyo. He looked jumpy, ready to spring out of their camp at any moment. But what got his attention most of all, was the fear in the boy's eyes. It was fear that had been instilled long ago, and had been caused by many terrifying acts. Tsuyo could only begin to assume what had been done to him, and the sadness within him grew with each scenario.

"Calm child, I do not wish to harm you. I only wish to help you." Tsuyo said in a calming voice, hoping that it would sooth the boy.

"Are you sure? They told me that once, but they lied. Are you like them?" The blonde's voice was only more than a whisper, yet it held the pain of many ages and remembrance of terrors yet told. It was at this moment that Kokai entered the conversation.

"If they wished to harm you, then we are not like them. I don't know anything about you, so there is no reason to be mad at you. I would still like to know you though. My name is Kobayashi Kokai, and this is my friend Inoue Tsuyo," She told him, mentioning to both herself and Tsuyo as she squatted down to be eye level with the child. "Can you tell us what your name is little one?"

"My name…. my name is Uzumaki Naruto." He said as he stared into her gold eyes. They seemed caring, and that was more than enough to grab his attention. No one had ever asked about him before. Maybe they were different like they said.

"Uzumaki Naruto…," She said, acting as if she was pondering and studying his name. " I like it. You look like a Naruto." In truth, she had never heard of anyone named after a fishcake, but that was okay. She didn't mind that his name was a little silly.

"So, Naruto…" Tsuyo said, entering the conversation once more as he sat on the dirt floor. "We aren't in Konoha anymore. You have been asleep for about a week now, and when we found you, you weren't in the best of conditions. If you would be willing to tell me, why was that man trying to hurt you? The one who attacked you back at Konoha."

The fact that they weren't in Konoha had dawned on him while he had been eating the fish, but the implications of that fact had just began to strike him when the man named Tsuyo told him such. 'I am free from those mean people. They can't hurt me anymore. They can't touch me if I am not there!' he thought to himself in realization.

"I… I don't know why he wanted to hurt me. He is one of them, and they always try to hurt me. They always have tried to, and nobody has ever tried to stop them. But, I don't know why they try, just that they do." He replied to Tsuyo, tears beginning to fill his eyes as he remembered the beatings.

'There had to be better reason than they just wanted to hurt the boy. This is Konoha we are talking about, they aren't lunatics. The majority of their city is extremely friendly, and I haven't even been in one fight there, despite the number of times that I have visited." Tsuyo thought to himself, knowing that they were missing some variable in the equation.

"Never mind that. Now, Naruto, there is a problem, and I want to tell you about it." Kokai told the boy, getting his attention. Problems usually ended up with him getting hurt, and he didn't want for this nice lady to have a problem with him. "When we found you, you were hurt very bad, almost to the point of dying. We had to use a very special medicine to heal you, or else you wouldn't be here to today. Now, this medicine can heal any wound in the world, but it comes at a cost. The medicine will slowly but surely begin to make you very sick, and eventually, it causes you to die."

At the mention of this fact, Naruto began to freak out inside, his eyes going wide in fear. He had gotten out of the village, and the arms of the villagers, just to die? Kokai and Tsuyo say the internal panic that was beginning to form, however, and jumped on the problem immediately.

"Now, before you get excited, there is a way to fix it. There is a fountain of water in the Land of Caves which has the ability to purge your body of the side effects of the medicine. Unfortunately, getting to the fountain is very hard, and requires a strong ninja to get to it. If you are willing Naruto, Tsuyo and I would like to train you to reach the fountain." She told him, her eyes never leaving his as she did so.

'She is willing to help me become a ninja? No one has ever offered to do that! I can become strong, just like Jiji!' He thought in excitement.

"You aren't lying to me, are you? You will train me to become a true ninja, just like Jiji?" He asked her, hoping that his excitement wasn't misplaced.

"Yes Naruto, we will train you to become a powerful ninja, powerful enough to make It to the fountain so that you will be safe." She said with a smile.

"I must tell you, though, it will be grueling. This training will hurt sometimes, and your will be exhausted for quite some time. It will be hard, and you must be willing to trust us. Do you think you can do that?" Tsuyo asked him, knowing that if he said yes, then the next few years would be difficult for him. However, to Naruto, it was a no-brainer.

"Yes, yes, I would like to be trained. I don't care how tough it is, I will become stronger than Jiji ever was!" He yelled in excitement. It was a good day for him, one of the best he had ever experienced. They weren't lying to him, they were going to train him to be a true ninja! He was exuding pure joy as he jumped up from his seat on the ground, dropping the finished fish onto the ground.

"Well, if you are sure, we will begin your training immediately, though, all physical exercises will begin once we get to a larger area of land, as it will take quite some pace to teach you ninjutsu and taijustu. " Tsuyo told him, making Naruto's excitement skyrocket to whole new levels. 'And while we are there, I think I will buy him some new clothes from a nearby city. The ones he has on are in extremely bad condition.' And with that, Kokai walked around the fire and sat next the small child

"So, Naruto, what can you tell me about Chakra…"


	3. Chapter 3

Okay, I am so sorry about this late update. This past month and a half has been crazy, with a mixture of various exams, personal issues, and internet problems, the story became a little harder to put forth. Anyways, I am really uncertain about this chapter, so if you would be willing to give me some creative criticism, I would be very appreciative. Anyways, here is the next chapter of the Tondemonai Kami: Rewritten! I hope you enjoy! If not, well, meh...

Almost forgot, though I really do not understand its purpose. If i actually owned Naruto, I would not be on this site unless it was to gather some ideas as to how to make Naruto a complete bad-ass. **Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever, own the franchise Naruto, and any spin-offs which may be created in tandem with the series. Have a great day.**

Chapter Three: The Journey Begins!

_(Three weeks after Naruto's Awakening, sixteen miles outside of Kusagakure no Sato)_

"DODGE!" yelled a heavily masculine voice as a large fist came down towards a young boy.

The boy in question immediately rolled across the ground that they were standing on, allowing the large fist to pass him with some ease, slamming into the dirt of the grass field they were in, and leave his body intact. This was what their physical training had consisted of since Naruto, Tsuyo, and Kokai had left their island and headed for the Land of Silence. Tsuyo would randomly attack the boy whenever he got the chance, training his reflexes to be prepared for anything.

However, traveling left little time for actual physical training, so they had paid a visit to the city of Yu in the Land of Hot Springs to grab some materials that would help him while they traveled. For instance, while at the city, they managed to buy the boy some decent clothing and a small set of shinobi gear. Rather than the torn up short and pants that he had adorned for so long, Naruto now wore a low cut short sleeved blue dogi with white trim, a slightly longer sleeved black under shirt, a rope belt to hold it together, a pair of blue arm bands that reached to just below his elbow, and pair of white pants to match the dogi. Each set of clothing had a small seal resistance seal hidden away, allowing them to be used as weights for building both speed and body mass.

However, this one punch wasn't the end of Tsuyo's onslaught, as he swung he leg out to blindside the young boy with a devastating kick. However, after days of being crushed by that very same leg, Naruto knew how to properly block. Just as it was about to ram into him, Naruto pushed his arms out in front of himself, using them as a makeshift shield. The impact made a resounding crash as the boy was thrown into a tree from the force of the blow. Despite this, he was back on his feet within seconds.

"Come on Naruto-kun, I know you can do better. If this is the extent of your skill, then perhaps it was a bad choice to train you." Tsuyo taunted, hoping to get a rise out of the boy.

It worked too, as he rushed at Tsuyo the minute the previous sentence was uttered. The boy wasn't nearly fast enough to so much as scratch him, and with the weights that was even more the case. Yet, he played the part, and allowed himself to be the attack dummy of the eight-year old. Naruto attempted to strike with two punches to the ribs of Tsuyo, though, it proved null as he expertly dodged the boy's fists in the blink of an eye. Seeing that his attack failed, Naruto struck out with a powerful kick. However, Tsuyo just grabbed his leg and threw him back to the tree.

This time, Naruto rolled as he hit the ground rather than the tree, and he was up again in seconds. When he went to attack Tsuyo though, the black haired and golden eyed man was gone, his previous spot vacant. Immediately Naruto looked around, hoping to see his sensei before he struck. However, the effort was useless as the ground began to rumble beneath him.

"DODGE!"

Tsuyo's fist ripped through the earth, gripping Naruto's leg as he unearthed himself. The grown man then proceeded to throw Naruto like a rag doll back the spot Tsuyo had been in earlier, causing the boy to skid across the ground. Each skip he had to go through hurt even more than the last, but he wouldn't go down yet. Once he had stopped skidding, Naruto pushed himself off of the ground, forcing himself to stand once more. This time, however, he set himself up in a defensive stance, his hand set out in front of him as he stared down Tsuyo. Yet, all it caused the older man to do was chuckle as he slowly walked up to his apprentice.

"If you aren't going to come after me, then I shall come after you." Tsuyo told him as Naruto tried to gather his breath. Despite holding himself in a firm position, Naruto was falling apart. He was tired, and every bone in his body ached. He had yet to move, and Tsuyo wasn't feeling like being a patient man today.

"Well, if that is the case, then here I come!" Tsuyo yelled as he "ran" at Naruto.

He was within Naruto's comfort zone in seconds, bringing his knee deep into the boy's gut. Or that is what would have happened had Naruto not put his hand in between the two. He gripped the offending appendage as tightly as he could and swung his leg into the ribs of Tsuyo, placing a firm hit on his sensei. It didn't hurt his master, but for Naruto it was showing that his training was working. Yes, Tsuyo was going easy on him, but that didn't mean that he wasn't skilled at even that level, or at least, skilled for an eight-year old.

"Nice shot Naruto, but you are going to have to do much better if you wish to put me down Gaki." Tsuyo said as he grabbed the leg and threw him once more at the tree, but rather than crashing into it, he grabbed onto the trunk and swung around it. He landed roughly as he let go and rolled across the ground, picking himself up with a groan.

"Well, I believe that is enough for today Naruto-kun. I think that you have progressed greatly since we started training!" Tsuyo said with a smile as he watched the boy walk towards him. "You know what that means, right?

"I get to eat as much ramen as I want?" replied Naruto with a small smile.

"Nope! You get more weight added to your clothing!" Tsuyo said with a large smile plastered on his face, patting Naruto on the back. With each pat however, Naruto's clothing got even heavier, until finally he began to feel the weight push down onto his body with even greater pressure.

"Damn you…" Naruto whispered as they pressed down on his bruses,

"AH AH AH, what was that Naruto-kun?" He answered the boy trying to stay standing.

"Damn you… Sensei." He replied quietly.

Tsuyo could only chuckle as his apprentice slowly set himself on the ground and groaned. It had only been three weeks, but the kid was making some serious progress. They had begun by teaching him the fundamentals of chakra and chakra control as they walked, throwing pebbles at him and telling him to try and make them stick. Perhaps their methods were sadistic, but they achieved growth and development in most of the things that they attempted to teach him. What they couldn't get to stick immediately he made up with enthusiasm, never giving up no matter how hard it was for him to understand.

That said, his lack of formal education made a lot of things hard to understand, so when they weren't training his taijustu or setting up the basis for ninjutsu and genjustu, they were teaching him the basic education that he missed, as well as some forms of tactics strategy. He had little patience for such things, but they were getting him to understand the importance of what they were doing. In time, he would be able to take what they were teaching him and apply it to his battles. Then it would get interesting.

Halfway across the field, sitting cross-legged in the middle of the field, Kokai watched the two, analyzing every move that the younger of the two made. He still fought like a child, rushing into the situation without any forethought whatsoever. Yet, his skill was improving, even if it was inch by inch. At least she could see that he was getting better.

"Naru-chan, come over here! It is time for your lessons in chakra control." Kokai yelled out to the little boy.

Of course, with the added weight, Naruto walked at a much slower pace, but made it in time none the less. When he arrived to the middle of the field, Tsuyo was sprawled out, and a gentle snoring was resonating from his mouth. Kokai, on the other hand, was in a meditative pose, and had leaves floating all around her, flying in circles around her head and body. Deciding to not interrupt her, Naruto merely sat across from her on the ground, watching as the leaves continued their revolutions around her person. After a few minutes, the leaves stopped and simply floated to the ground without a sound. When they did hit the ground, Kokai opened her eyes once more and addressed him.

"By the time I am done training you, Naru-chan, that will seem to be a simple exercise in comparison to what you will be able to do. Though, depending on the nature of your chakra it could be a different exercise. Tell me, Naru-chan, what is chakra?" She asked him, hoping that the lessons were sticking.

"Chakra is a form of energy which everything produces by mixing spiritual and physical energy in a specific ratio to perform special techniques known as jutsu." Naruto replied after a few seconds of thought.

"Good Naru-chan. Now, can you tell me the five basic elemental forms of chakra?" She continued to ask.

"There is fire, water, lightening, earth, and….um… and … wind! Yeah, wind!" He answered, proud of himself for remembering the elements, warming up to the idea of learning things such as these and not just flashy jutsu.

"Ok, that was good. Now, each person has at least one of these elements inherently, and though its affluence differs from person to person, you can learn to control this special chakra to do things like I was. But before you can begin that, you need to learn how to handle your own chakra, not your elemental version, just your regular blue chakra. Are you ready to advance, Naru-chan?" She went on with their lesson.

"Yes Sensei!" His eagerness was quite apparent as he began to almost bounce up and down in his seat. For the past three weeks they had gone over the fundamentals of chakra and the theory behind controlling it. 'I am going to be doing all types of awesome justu soon!'

"What are we going to learn first? Am I going to learn to shoot flames from my mouth? Blast waves of air that can take down master ninja? Summon beasts which can destroy entire cities? What are we going to learn first?!" He basically shouted. Kokai simply smiled at him, though, on the inside she was cackling. She couldn't wait to see his face when he realized that they wouldn't be doing anything like that for a long time, if at all.

"You are going to learn…" She cut off, build up the suspense, making Naruto's go wider than dinner plates.

"Yes?' He asked just begging to know what she was going to teach him.

"How to…" she continued, almost unable to contain the smile that was growing inside of her.

"YES?!" He asked, physically hopping up and down on the ground from his seat, the anticipation building up to the point of taking a physical form.

"How to balance a leaf on your forehead!" She yelled in fake enthusiasm, just to throw some salt on the wound.

Naruto almost literally deflated at hearing the task they were going to perform. 'We are going to learn how to balance a stupid leaf? A LEAF?! What type ninja balances a leaf? Aren't ninja supposed to be awesome or something?'

"Awww. Kokai, do we have to? Can't we learn something fun, like shooting fireballs?" he whined as he laid down in the field, looking up into the sky.

"Now, Naru-chan, before you can even attempt to do such things, you have to learn to harness your chakra. If you can do that much with effectiveness, then we will see about teaching you ninjutsu. Until such a time, however, you will do as I say so that you can become skilled enough to 'shoot fireballs'." She told him with a smile plastered on her face, understanding how disappointed he was at learning how they would begin his training with chakra, as her sensei had done the exact same thing that she was doing.

"Now, here is how we will begin Naru-chan. You understand how to focus chakra throughout your body, so now we are going to attempt to isolate it at multiple points, increasing your overall control of it. If you can stick different objects to your body and maintain their position, then you will increase your control of it. Are you ready to begin Naru-chan?" She said as she watched him fidget in his spot on the ground.

"Yes, Kokai-sensei!' He responded immediately, hoping to improve as a ninja as fast as possible. Kokai simply smiled as she watched him get enthusiastic once more, appreciating that he was more than willing to learn, no matter how boring it could be.

"Good. Then we shall begin. Take this leaf," She told him as she handed said object to him. "Press it to your forehead, and focus your chakra into making it stick. If done correctly, it should stick with relative ease." She proved her point by demonstrating on herself, making the leaf stick like it was second nature.

Naruto, however, just continued to stare at the many veined leaf that he was handed, its green surface contrasting greatly against his sun-kissed skin. 'Is this really he first step to becoming a great ninja?' He couldn't help but wonder to himself. But when he looked up into the eyes of his teacher Kokai, he knew that she was giving him not only giving him the first step to becoming a shinobi, but that it would help him become the greatest ninja ever. His doubt was crushed in an instant, and he immediately began to work on the exercise, putting all of his effort forth to succeed.

His first attempt didn't work very well, as the leaf simply slid from his forehead without so much as an ounce of resistance. His second attempt wasn't much better, nor was his third try. In fact, Naruto didn't even manage to slow the leaves slid down his forehead until his fifteenth time. After that point, he slowly began to make progress, managing to keep the leaf on his head longer until it stayed put for good however, by this point, a few hours had passed and his teachers were preparing camp.

Tsuyo had long since woken up from his nap, and was starting a small camp fire with some weak katon technique. Looking at his male teacher, Naruto had to say that Tsuyo was by all definitions weird. He was constantly silent, besides when he taunted his blonde apprentice, a stark contrast from the energetic personalities of Naruto and Kokai. He rarely talked unless he was addressed, though he was never grumpy or anti-social. He just seemed… content with the world around him, and was just fine sitting around all day or taking a nap. Now, Naruto didn't have much experience with adults or even other people, but surely they weren't all so content to just… do nothing all of the time, were they?

On the other hand, Tsuyo's female counter-part had spent her free time focusing on her elemental chakra manipulation, and was now setting up the tents around the fire. In truth, Naruto loved Kokai like the sister he never had. She constantly wanted to do something, whether it was training, playing a game, or simply humming while they walked. The raven haired woman was literally a bundle of energy, and the only thing that could outlast her was the eight-year old who usually took part in these activities with her. And what made it better was that she was always nice to him, having never talked down to him once since he had joined them. Now, Tsuyo had never talked down to him either, but then again, he just didn't talk.

Their camp wasn't very far away from where he had been practicing, easily within eyesight, and he walked to it within the minute. A small fire crackled in the middle, and as the sun began to set, its yellows and reds danced across the camp floor, giving the place a beautiful lightshow, yet possessing a true homely feeling with the simple design of the camp. There was just a fire and some tents, nothing more, yet nothing less.

Tsuyo sat to one side of the camp, his back to the fields that Naruto had just returned from, sharpening his kunai with a small whetstone. His eyes stayed fixed to the blade, inspecting the grade of the grinds that he was performing, making sure that each one made the edge sharper than the last. His focus was absolute, fixated on the black knife in his hand as if it was the last in all of the elemental nations, yet, once he would finish it up, he would simply move onto the next with the very same expression, taking delicate care of each instrument.

Once she had set up the tents, Kokai unceremoniously plopped down next to the fire, her hands held out in front of her for warmth. Her raven hair shown with the light, and her eyes stayed fixated on the small little blaze. A small smile began to creep on her face as she reminisced on her past, her childhood, and as she looked over to the small boy that watched Tsuyo with an odd intensity, she thought of the situation they were currently in, and the future that they had promised him.

"Naruto-kun, can I ask you a question?" She inquired as his eyes seemed to gloss over from watching Tsuyo maintain his kunai. He was startled out of his gaze by her question, but he it wasn't long before he gave her permission.

"Yeah, sure, go ahead Kokai-chan." He answered with a grin at the opportunity to open up towards his new friends.

"You mentioned an 'old man' when you first woke up. Who exactly is he?" She asked him, watching as he made little drawings in the dirt out of boredom.

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he thought back to his first moments awake and his time in Konoha. Old man… old man… His eyes snapped open in recognition as he realized what she was asking. "Oh, you mean Hokage-jiji! Yeah, he was really nice to me! He taught me all kinds of cool stuff about the village, and said that I could become a ninja when I was old enough." He said with a small smile, only to frown when he realized that he hadn't seen the nice old man in a month, and didn't know when he would see him again.

On the other side of the conversation, Kokai was internally freaking out. They had taken a way a child who was close to the Hokage. She summed it up to one short statement. '_Oh my god, we have so fucked up._' "Really, that old man you kept talking about was the Hokage? That seems pretty cool. Did you have any other friends in the village?" She said with a quick smile to hide the grief that she was in.

He gave a sad little frown as he thought back on his life in Konoha. "I didn't have very many friends. There was this old man back at the Ichiraku ramen stand who was nice to me, and his daughter was too. They gave me free meals when I needed to eat." He said as he continued to draw little figure eights into the dirt. "I remember this one time when I walked in and…."

Kokai simply looked into the fire as he told his little story as if it was the greatest thing in the world, a small scowl on her face as she listened to him go on with is little tale. He was really excited as he shared his past with her, and yet it was so empty. His life seemed so sad. She eventually lost herself to it as he went on for minutes until he ended his tale.

"Where are you guys from?" He asked, shaking her from her stupor, and bringing himself to look up from his little figures in the dirt.

However, before she could answer, Tsuyo entered the conversation, still maintaining his weapons as he did so. "Have you ever heard of a place known as Kessho no Kuni?" He asked the small child as he sharpened his wakazashi, having finished his kunai set while the boy told his story of the Ramen Chef. Naruto merely shook his head in response. He didn't know much of the outside world, and this country was in that realm of mystery for him.

"I'm not surprised. Not many know of its existence. It is a small island in comparison to Hi no Kuni, just off the coast of the Temujin continent. Despite this, it is an economic powerhouse, though; its activities are usually secretive if you aren't doing business with one of its many denizens." Tsuyo told the small child, looking up from his maintenance for once to look at the small eight-year old. Said child immediately became lost with the word denizen, but continued to listen in hopes of learning something from the conversation.

"You remember how large Konoha was, Naruto-kun?" He asked him, causing the little boy to shake his head once more in remembrance of the large village.

"Now, imagine towers of steel and rock, rather than wood, which touch the very clouds. They scrape the sky like the tallest of mountains, and the city that they are in goes on for miles. That is Kessho no Kuni, nothing more than a village the likes of which there is no comparison, a true metropolis that has no rivals, and a place which holds more evil than I wish existed." He continued to say, though the last statement was little louder than a whisper.

"It is really pretty Naru-chan, the metal buildings shine like mirrors and there are plenty of friendly people as long as you stay where you are supposed to. We have some friends there, who I am sure would love to meet you if we get the chance to visit them." Kokai finished for Tsuyo, who had trailed off as he looked back on his past. To Naruto, however, the man just had this weird look in his eyes as he stared off into space. Maybe he was bored or something, Naruto didn't know, but he wasn't going to interrupt his sensei's glazing of eyes.

"So, Kokai-chan, how did you become a super-powerful ninja like Jiji did? Did you learn from fighting legendary monsters and saving princesses?" He asked in excitement as he jumped up from his seat on the dirt, mimicking his questions as he made motions that resembled the actions he was hoping to hear about. Kokai giggled at the little blondes antics as he hopped around, pretending to fight off foreign ninja.

"It is nothing so exciting as exciting as that Naruto. I trained as hard as I could, just like Tsuyo did, and as time went on, I grew more powerful. I learned some strong techniques, but in truth, I am only an above average ninja. Your Jiji could probably defeat me with ease if we fought. No, if you want to talk about adventures, ask Tsuyo. He is far more skilled than I am, and has experienced many adventures that I am sure you would love to hear." She said with a small giggle as he seemed to physically deflate ate her admittance of being ordinary.

Naruto picked himself up from the ground as he had face faulted with little to no grace. He clearly hadn't expected such an answer, and turned to Tsuyo, hoping to hear a less disappointing tale of grandeur. The man in question merely looked up from his weapon with a raised eyebrow as Naruto seemingly begged at his feet with puppy eyes. He sighed as he put his wakazashi down, the odd sense of defeat filling his chest as he knew that he wouldn't get any rest unless he told the child a story of some sort. He may have only known the child for a month, but he knew how persistent the little blonde was, and there would be hell if he didn't oblige the kid.

"You want a story, huh?" He said with a sigh, watching the boy jump up from his seat. Naruto just nodded his head with extreme speed, eagerness quite obvious on his face. Seeing the little boy practically vibrate from all of his pent up energy, Tsuyo chuckled at the blonde's antics.

"Well, then it is a story that you will get!" He said as he ruffled the boy's hair, who grumbled in response. If he was going to tell a story, he might as well make the best out of it. "You see, I wasn't always as awesome a ninja as I am now. I was once just a humble, yet amazingly charming teenager, who just happened to be incredibly talented." Upon saying this, Kokai coughed, though it sounded remarkably like 'bullshit', though, there was no telling. "One day, as I traveled through the Elemental nations, I came across an army of bandits, consisting of thousands of mercenaries. There were tall ones, and short ones, and even really fat ones! But most of all, they were really strong, and they intended on doing evil things."

He had Naruto captivated, the boy's blue eyes as wide as saucers as he stared at Tsuyo in anticipation. It made him grin to see how eager the boy was. "Well, I was quite tired, having traveled across the country, and wanted no part in dealing with the mercenaries. However, I learned that they had kidnapped the daughter of a daimyo, and they planned on ransoming her off to the highest bidder. Well, I just happened to know of this daimyo, and his daughter was known for her beauty, and I couldn't just let them do that to her."

"So what did you do?" The eight-year old asked the older raven-haired man.

"What did I do? I did what any decent shinobi would have done. I waited until night, snuck into the bandit's camp, escaped with the princess, and walked away as the entire camp was blown to pieces, along with the mercenaries that were sleeping inside of it. The end." He said with a large grin plastered on his face. Kami, he loved that bad-ass moment of walking away from the explosions he caused. Naruto, on the other hand, face-faulted at how simple the tale was. No grandeur, no world-shattering jutsu, there was nothing to make it exciting.

"That was the shortest story ever." Naruto said as he picked himself up from the ground. In return, Tsuyo raised an eyebrow at the small blonde. "What did you want from me, a fucking speech? I am a ninja kid. I don't tell stories, I kill people."

Naruto simply squinted his eyes at the tall man, as Tsuyo went back to sharpening his kunai knives. He remembered when he first met him, back in Konoha. At the time, the darkness from the night had prevented him from seeing the man's features, all save the brilliant gold eyes that he shared with Kokai. Tsuyo was in, all forms, the definition of a beast. Naruto couldn't be sure, but the man easily towered over him, and had to be at least six and a half foot tall and was built like an ox. Naruto had no doubts in his mind that if the man were to charge a wall, it would hurt him a lot less than it would have damaged the wall. Yet, like Kokai, his face was one of nobility, high cheekbones, straight nose, and fair skin. His hair went down to his shoulders in the form of a small pony-tail and had a few spikes of hair coming over his forehead in a slight tilt to the left.

His body was decked out with body armor; a steel plated midnight black flak jacket covered his chest, with a mixture of mesh underlay and a simple black long sleeve shirt underneath, all of which were torn in various spots. His equipment had clearly seen some amount of abuse, and showed the scars of battle beautifully. His lower arms were adorned with steel gauntlets (Think Demon Brothers of the Mist type gauntlets, but without the chain and thinner). He pants were the common black commando pants that frequented almost every nation's finished off with some big ass combat boots that were easily the size of Naruto's head, if not larger. All of this was covered by a thick black cloak and hood, allowing for maximum stealth in operations that they undertook. To Naruto, Tsuyo served as the perfect role model. Who didn't want to instill fear in their enemies just by looking bad-ass, only to reinforce the fact when you beat the snot out of them?

"You know Tsuyo, the kin has a point, you could embellish just a little more. After all, you are the 'oh-so-wonderful' Tsuyo, how can any tale you spin not be great?" Kokai asked him from her spot by the fire. "Go ahead and just placate him with a good tale." Tsuyo merely gave a grunt as he listened to her advice.

"So, you really want a tale Naru-chan?" Tsuyo asked him as he stared the boy in the eye.

"What kind of story?" The boy responded in kind.

"It's a short story, and I can't tell you if it is true, but, it is entertaining none the less. A tale of a place long forgotten, trapped in the fabric of lore and fables that have become lost with time…"

XxX

They say that there was once a civilization during the coming of the clans, which predated even the formation of the nations of the elemental continent. A place of sophistication and power the likes of which the world has not seen since the coming of the Sage of Six Paths. They were collection of beings that possessed amazing chakra affinities, great enough so that even the smallest of child could boast to possess some prowess in elemental manipulation. They could perform techniques which even the strongest of shinobi couldn't hope to rival.

However, they were not from the Elemental Continent, but rather ruled the Temujin Continent and its surrounding oceans. This civilization was said to have spread for thousands of miles, possessing cities which went on for as long as the eye could possibly see, no matter the enhancement that it possessed. It was a vast empire, held strong by a stonewall economy, dominating the world with its vast wealth and political prowess. It was the definition of Paradise, a place where war was a myth, and conflict only appeared once every hundred years. Despite this, evil still managed to find a place in this lost asylum.

During the peak of its existence, a raging typhoon, which was said to have ripped chunks of the earth from the world, shook the continent as it ravaged its lands and people. Destruction and chaos erupted in the streets, as neighbors fought one another, and family killed each other in cold blood, though for what reason no one ever knew. It was in this dark time that a small child was born, smaller than any could imagine, with deep red hair and vivid purple eyes. It was said that as the child came from the womb, power radiated off of it in waves, killing those around it, including its very mother.

When the storm passed, all was well, and the chaos stopped as the nation pulled itself back together, and eventually, time went on. But as time continued its endless cycles, the child grew, and the power within it blossomed into a true nightmare, with a heart full of evil and malice. The darkness within began to subvert the now grown powerhouse, and one day, it simply snapped.

It was said on the day its madness was unleashed; the beast erupted into a fountain of pure energy, and ravaged an entire city on a mere whim. Thousands were slaughtered, and once more, the empire was put into chaos. Men and women scattered, rushing to other parts of the civilization to mount an offensive against what they began to refer to as 'The Beast'. It took some time, but eventually, an army of thousands was made to kill the creature. However, they underestimated the power that it held, and the grand army that they formed walked into a death trap the moment that they entered the city. No one knows what really happened on that battlefield, but what we do know is that no one walked away from that day, save the beast.

Having been attacked on its territory, the beast spread its destruction across the entirety of the Empire. Dozens of cities fell within the year, and soon, all that stood was one village bastion from the chaos that had been invoked on their Empire. When the Beast arrived upon the last great city, its purple eyes grew darker, and it roared to the heavens that it demanded blood. A lone champion came from the fortress that they had built up, and faced his foe in mortal combat. His power was said to have even rivaled that of the beast, and he was not ready to let all that he loved die to sate the bloodlust of a single being. They stared one another down, and then, the battle thagt would determine the destiny of thousands began.

The battle that they fought raged for days, each individual throwing everything that they had into it. One would summon lightening from the sky, only to be countered as their opponent used typhoon of air and water to redirect the deadly blow. Then, grand balls of fire would erupt from ones mouth, only to be snuffed out with a wall of water. The very earth shook with each technique thrown into the fray, and it seemed as if neither one would every die. But, the battle continued on, and eventually it seemed that the Champion had taken the advantage and would kill the Beast. However, the Champion made a single mistake. He didn't fully recognize the bloodlust which had consumed the Beast, and its desire to kill. In a final attempt to lay waste to the Bastion of hope for the empire, the Beast grabbed hold of the Champion, and with one final push of power, erupted in an explosion which bleached the ground around them, and destroyed the city to the point upon which there was only an absence where it had once stood.

Thus, were there was once a great empire, all that stood was torn mountains and bleached white sand. If you were to drop a pin, the echo would resonate throughout the land, and the pure absence would descend upon you with an intensity that is unmatched. It was a land of death, and a vacuum of life. It was now the Land of Silence…

XxX

"And there is your story." Tsuyo finished with a big grin. It wasn't often that he decided to do something such as this, but he had to say, it was nice.

Naruto looked at him with wide eyes while he thought about the story. Was one person really able to destroy an entire civilization? To have such power…. the thought was scary. If someone could just start killing people for the sake of it, then would there ever be anyone who could truly stop the bloodshed? This 'Champion' that Tsuyo mentioned had put his life down on the line so that all that he loved wouldn't be lost to the world, only to fail in the end. It was a sad way to go out from the world, knowing that you had failed in your one determination and ambition. It troubled him to think such a thing was possible.

He sat there, thinking about the tale for a few moments, his eyes glazing over as he zoned out while staring at the fire. It troubled Tsuyo to see him like that. For the majority of the time that he had known the boy, he had always been happy-go-lucky and an infinite ball of energy. Now, it seemed he had almost gone comatose as his cerulean orbs pierced the small blaze that was in the middle of their camp. It just seemed…. wrong… to see the eight year-old so serious. The sun had already begun to set, and Kokai was just sitting across from the boy, meditating, with an almost exact facial expression plastered to her head. She had begun to do that more and more recently and it still unnerved him to see her so still as well. 'I guess that people truly do mellow with age' he thought with a small chuckle, and shortly nudged Naruto to grab the boy's attention.

"Hey, Naruto-kun, you should go get some sleep. We are going to have a long day tomorrow, as I intend to get us near a dock so we can head out of the Elemental Nations. Trust me; you are going to need as must rest as you can for this journey, because it will take a lot out of you." He told the little blonde, concern clearly showing on his face. Naruto gave a big smile in return, pushing himself to a stand position.

"Thanks for the story Sensei, I really enjoyed it." He said with a small grin, and as he walked towards his tents, bade good-night to both Tsuyo and Kokai, and once he entered, and laid down for his slumber, one final thought went through his head. 'If I ever die, I hope that it isn't like the champion. I don't want my precious people to get hurt…'

XxX

_(Meanwhile, in Konoha…)_

It had been a little over a month since the attack on the village, and there were still things which needed to be fixed, at least, that is what Sarutobi Hiruzen believed. Since the incursion on the village, the sense of security that had they had managed to rebuild after the Third Great War was absolutely shattered, as civilians looked over their shoulders constantly to make sure that there were no suspicious characters lurking about. That belief in their in strength and safety would take a little longer to fix than the actual repairs to the city had, which had been a pain in the ass in the form of a mountain of paperwork, but if done correctly, it was mendable. However, there was one thing that still haunted his mind.

"Inu-kun, have there been any sightings of Naruto-kun?" The aged Hokage asked in a solemn as he stared out the windows in his office, towards the village, puffing away at his pipe as he did so. To any ordinary ninja, it would appear that he was speaking to himself, but slowly, a masked ANBU bleed out of the wall, spiky silver hair shooting off in one direction.

"Negative, Hokage-sama. I've had squads searching the village, and its surrounding areas, vigorously, but there appears to be no sign of the child. It appears as if he just mysteriously vanished. His scent is weak, where we can even find it, and leaves next to no room to track him correctly." The legendary Scarecrow responded from his spot on the wall, watching Hiruzen as he continued to look out at the darkening city.

"Well, then we have no choice. We must continue to search for him until he is found, or we are given reason to believe he may no longer be among us." And with that, Kakashi knew he had been dismissed to increase the search effort, fading back into the wall to give commands to his fellow ANBU.

Now, alone in his office, Hiruzen gave a long, deep, sigh as he wondered about his surrogate grandson. Normally, such a thing like this would never have happened. However, with the attack on the village, his normal ANBU guards for the boy had to be reassigned to either mission duty to cover for the shinobi that had been lost, or temporary hunter-nin in helping track down the perpetrators of the attack. He hadn't been able to keep a constant eye on the boy since, and had only found out about his disappearance a week ago when he had paid a visit to his apartment, only to find the place covered in dust and dirt.

Thankfully, the village hadn't recognized, or just chose to ignore, the small blonde's absence, so he didn't have to worry about any parades in the honor of the "Demon's" death. That would have led to quite a few executions, and Hiruzen was never one to enjoy taking away the lives of his citizens, no matter how cruel they were. But, there was no point in thinking such thoughts, and Hiruzen quickly shifted to his desk, puffing at his pipe the entire way.

'Wherever you are, Naruto-kun, I hope that you are at least safe from harms grasp.' He thought as he gave one final puff of his pipe and continued finishing the paperwork that had littered his desk for the past month.

_(Two weeks later, 10 miles off of the coast of the land of silence)_

'Dodge…duck…dip…dive…dodge' These were the thoughts going through the head of a certain Uzumaki Naruto as he danced back and forth across the floor to evade the blows Tsuyo was throwing at him, all the while maintaining to balance a leaf on his forehead. They had been going at it for around an hour, and so far, the leaf had yet to fall.

At the current moment, the trio of ninja was on their way to the Temujin continent, having paid for voyage on a boat to sail them safely and discreetly across the massive ocean which separated the two bodies of land. So far, their trip had lasted a good two weeks, they had not seen land since they had left the main land, though their journey was coming to a close. This long sea voyage had given them time to push Naruto's training, however, and served wonders to find the flaws in all of his techniques.

Since being taught the technique, he had trouble with controlling the stasis of the leaf on his forehead with chakra. However, he just pushed on through his troubles, and eventually, it became second nature to him. Now, well, Tsuyo was pushing his limits as he had been forced to improve his chakra control and taijustu simultaneously. His master was a taijustu expert; and yet he was expected to dodge everything that Tsuyo threw at him. The exercise they were performing was pissing him off. The man wanted him to analyze his fighting style while they trained, hoping to enable him to do such when an actual battle occurred. If Naruto could learn to recognize flaws in a taijustu style while his concentration was spread to multiple areas then fighting hand-to-hand later on would be significantly easier.

This was much harder than it sounded, and it sounded damn near impossible to Naruto. Just when he believed that he found a way to avoid all the blows that came towards him, Tsuyo would shift his strategy in a radical way, forcing Naruto to adapt quickly or get pummeled. The raven-haired giant wasn't kidding with this training method of his, and was more than willing to beat the shit out the little blonde. One slip up, and Naruto was going to be in a world of pain. Luckily, that had yet to be the case today.

It had been at least five minutes since Tsuyo had switched techniques, and Naruto was almost certain the transition would occur in a few moments. Lo and behold, he was correct as Tsuyo switched fighting styles half-way through a jab from his right fist to Naruto's head. When the switch occurred, his left leg sprung out from its previous position, hoping to claim a brutal kick to the boy's mid-section. However, Naruto jumped back just in time, having become accustomed to the feints that Tsuyo just loved to use.

He could literally feel the air rush past him from the kick, and knew that Tsuyo had upped his game a little more. However, he didn't have time to think about the implications of such a realization, as his sensei rushed forward with the blow and let a barrage of fist out of his deadly arsenal. The first one was fairly easy to evade, as it had been aimed towards his right shoulder, and the second attack merely took a quick bend of his back to avoid, but doing such left him wide open, and Tsuyo was more than happy to take advantage of the opportunity. His fourth and fifth punch decimated Naruto's gut, sending shockwaves of pain through his upper abdomen and spit from his mouth.

The two hits had sent him rolling across the floor, holding his stomach as he did so. Kami, he was pretty sure this was child abuse. Tsuyo, on the other hand, was merely standing there watching the boy one the floor. Sure, perhaps he had been a little too rough, but the kid had to be introduced into pain, or else he wouldn't be condition to withstand it when he was injured on the field. Did he like doing what he did? Maybe just a little, but the kid could be a pain in the ass sometimes, so, in truth, this was just a little payback. For instance, just last week, the boy had placed pink exploding dye capsules with sparkles in his bed, so that when he went to go to sleep, they would cover him from head to toe in hot pink sparkles. Hell, he couldn't even understand where he had gotten the materials to pull it off. They were hundreds of miles away from any form of store, and he was sure that he hadn't bought them back in Yu.

"Well, Naruto, I have to say, you did far better than I believed you would have done. In fact, most kids your age would have barely made it twenty seconds, let alone an hour. So, if you can take anything away from this, you might as well take pride from you accomplishment." Tsuyo told the boy, who was currently in a fetal position, whispering something about 'demonic instructors' though, Tsuyo couldn't truly tell. However, he knew that the little boy was smirking on the inside, and decided to knock his ego down a little bit. "However, I was much younger than you when I reached this point in my training. I just guess I was more talented, what do you think?"

In return, Naruto's eyes squinted in frustration as he began to pick himself up off of the ground. His legs wobbled just a bit, as the pain still lingered in his gut, but he did succeed in stand upright, if you consider slouching to be upright. Did his master always have to be that way with him? It wasn't like he bragged about being as awesome as he was…. sometimes… and besides, even if he did, it was because he was being truthful… kinda truthful anyway… but THAT wasn't the point! However, that didn't mean he would just lie down and take it.

"Maybe, or maybe you just suck as a sensei!" The blonde cried as he finally managed to stand at his full height, reaching a small stature of three feet and six inches tall, pointing his left arm towards Tsuyo's direction. Tsuyo just chuckled, and crackled his knuckles as he smirked at the boys need to always have the last word.

"Oh, I'm sorry Naruto, did you say something? All I heard was, 'Please, pretty please Tsuyo-sama, kick the living shit out of me again!' And, well, what can I say, I'm just a generous person." He chuckled darkly, and launched a quick right hook to his blonde apprentice's face, who may or may not have managed to avoid the blow, but the smacking of flesh may have been a good indicator as to whether or not the hit landed. (The author, in all of his generosity, will allow you to decide.) And thus, with the first attack thrown, the next few hours would be filled with the sounds of a grown man breaking of a child's spirit as he was kicked around like a little blonde hack sack.

_(Two hours and twenty backhands later…)_

Naruto slowly pulled himself from the lower deck as soon as he was sure that Tsuyo was done beating him. Kami, each hit had hurt worse than the next, and he knew that Tsuyo was holding back. There was no way on Earth that his Master was able to do such damage to him with such ease and actually be using his entire prowess. He stood once more, his knees wobbling to provide strength to his beaten body. His skin was extremely bruised, and with so many injuries he somehow managed to look like a blue berry with a blonde tuft of hair.

Now, in most cases, had a teacher done this to their protégé the instructor in question would have been locked in a mental institution. However, they had stumbled across a small miracle early in their training when Tsuyo accidently went overboard in his spar with the boy, forgetting that he was fighting an eight-year-old, and accidently threw him through the wall of a small hotel. The man almost had a heart attack when he realized what he had done, and had rushed to make sure the boy wasn't dead. However, when he pushed through the rubble, Tsuyo had found Naruto just sitting there on part of the broken wall, his clothes in tatters and blood soaked in a few places, simply rubbing his head as if he had run into the trunk of a tree head first. The cuts he had obtained were quickly healing, leaving a huge grin on Tsuyo's face as he realized that he had found what could have been a taijutsu gold mine.

Since then, he had focused on pounding the boy into the dirt whenever he could. Unlike everyone else, Naruto didn't need a few days rest for his body to recover from a serious work out, such as being thrown through a wall, and he spent as much time as he could pushing Naruto's limits. It created vast improvements, more than he had believed to be possible. That, and with the beatings, Naruto would be able to take almost any injury on the battlefield and walk away with less than a grimace, save mortal wounds. If Tsuyo had his way, he would sculpt Naruto into a god on the battlefield. Yet, the bruised boy was anything but a god at this point.

He took a few staggered steps towards the stairs on the far end of the room, examining the room as he did so, noting the clear absence of his master. Naruto had learned to always be on guard, even when in such a condition, as there was no such thing as "too far" in the eyes of Tsuyo. It took a few moments to gain his bearings, his mind still in a daze from the beat down and his muscles protesting as they strained to keep him up, but once he did, he simply walked across the lower deck, up the stairs, and onto the main deck. Yep, just another day in the life of Uzumaki Naruto.

When he emerged from the bowels of the transport ship, a bright sun accompanied his ascent, blinding his view of the world as he covered his eyes, waiting for them to adjust to the sudden change. Now, while he couldn't see, his sense of smell was unaffected, and he was rammed head first into a wall or veritable sea salt, piercing his nostrils like a sharp kunai knife. The sound of gulls crying into the day was loud in his ears, showing just how close they were to the coast. If birds were around them, then there was sure to be land nearby. However, he realized his presence was not ignored as light footsteps approached him, and with the dilation of his eyes, he could make out the figure of Kokai coming towards him.

"You know, I heard you got your butt handed to you by Tsuyo," She began with a slight chuckle. "You really should stop letting him get to you. It only serves to give him more reason to kick you around.'

"Mah, mah, he would have done it anyways, I just gave him reasoning to do it. And besides, how would it be any fun if I just let him push me around without so much as a fight?" Naruto replied, rubbing the back of his head in a sheepish manner. "No one pushes the great Uzumaki Naruto without a little pay back, no matter what kind it is!"

Kokai merely raised a raven eyebrow in response, amusement evident on her face, and curtly pushed him onto his butt with relative ease. He landed on the wooden deck with a soft plop, and he gave a mock glare to his female teacher, hoping to guilt her into apologizing. "Mah, Kokai-sensei, you are almost as bad as Tsuyo-sensei is!" He muttered from his position on the ground. He received a quick, yet oddly strong, flick to the middle of his forehead as a response, leaving a small red welt from where the contact was made. "Hey, what was that for?!"

"What? I thought you said that the great Uzumaki Naruto never let things such as this slide. I guess I just proved you wrong." Kokai told with a small smirk, her golden eyes twinkling with mirth. Naruto just grumbled under his breath, letting his complaints float away with the wind as he silently observed his surroundings.

Now that Naruto's eyes had fully adjusted, he could see a fine veil of mist surrounded the boat, reaching around ten feet into the air. Yet, somehow, the sun still managed to stream through to their position with an incredible intensity. However, a slow and steady shadow began to traverse across the deck, leaving more and more of the ship in the darkness as they continued to move forward. His curiosity toke its toll, and he careened his head as high as he could to get a glimpse of the object that could create such a large impression, and was amazed with the sight that he beheld. There, perhaps just hundreds of meters in front of him, stood massive grey cliff, hundreds of meters tall, and jagged if the large protrusions of rock that littered its surface were any indicator.

However, the great monolith of a cliff wasn't what grabbed his attention, but rather the intense silence which seemed to permeate the air. The gulls that had been screeching just minutes, if not seconds, earlier were now deathly silent and a pin drop could be heard from miles away. To Naruto, it was… wrong. There shouldn't have been a place where life simply ceased to exist, yet this place seemed to defy that rule with ease. He could already tell, he was not going to enjoy his stay in the Land of Silence.

He felt a hand grasp his shoulder, his head turning to meet the gazes of both Tsuyo, who had managed to walk up without so much as alerting Naruto, and the more obvious caring look of Kokai. Her hand was resting on his shoulder, giving him a reassuring grip, remembering how she had reacted when she first arrived at the horrid place. "Well, Naruto-kun, welcome to your new home. Welcome to the Land of Silence…"

Well, that marks the end of Chapter 3! It was a little longer than the previous two, and I hope it was up to snuff. If not, then reveiw and tell me what you think I should fix. Please, just no flames. They are quite annoying. So, yeah... read and review... or not... have a pleasent evening... or day... or night... whatever...


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